Joint for all metal rotary hose for oil wells



Jan. 17, 1933. c. G. BANKS JOINT FOR ALL METAL ROTARY HOSE FOR OIL WELLS Filed Nov. 27. 1929 2 Sheets-Sheet l Jan. 17, 1933. c. e. BANKS 1,894,390

JOINT FOR ALL METAL ROTARY HOSE FOR OIL WELLS Filed Nov. 27', 1929 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Jan. 17, 1933 UNITED STATES CHARLES e. Banks, or LOS meELEscALrroRNm JOINT FOR ALL METAL ROTARY nos]: FOR 011) watts Application filed November 27,1929. Serial No. 410,105. V

This invention relates to rotary hose of the type use in connection with hydraulic rotary drilling equipment for drilling oil wells and Y the like, and deals particularly with joints incorporated in an all metal hose for this purpose.

Reference is made to' my co-pending application, Serial No. 366,202, filed May 27, 1929, entitled all metal high pressure hose for oil wells, wherein I have illustrated and described an articulated all metal hose of the character involved in this invention. V

In drilling oil wells with hydraulic rotary drilling equipment,'it is common practice to conduct the circulating fluid from a standpipesupported by the derrick to a'swivel head mounted upon a kelly which in turn drives a drill string extending in the well bore. The means of conducting the circulating fluid from the standpipe to the rotary swivel head has been termed by common usage, the rotary hose. This invention purports to deal with this particular unit.

A great many difliculties have arisen in the use of the present available types of rotary hose. The generally used fabric hose has been found to deteriorate rapidly due to oil which has been taken up by the circulating fluid and also due to excessive strain applied to the hose at-points of bending.

' Furthermore, no efficient means has beendeveloped for satisfactorily connecting-the ends of a'fabric hose to the gooseneck on a stand pipe and the gooseneck on the swivel head;

In addition to this, fabric hose has been found inadequate to withstand the excessively high pressures that oftentimes occur due to the phenomenon of a water hammer in the drill string. 'Many types of expensive hose have been produced in an attempt to provide a hose that fullymeets the requirements of the oil well drilling practice. However, in so faras I am aware there is no hose, except those disclosed in my co-pending applications. which \Vlll withstand the same amount of pressure asthe drill string.

An all metal hose of the character described drill string. This would be an ideal arrangement.

In producing an articulated all metal rotary hose of the type contemplated by this invention, it becomes imperative that joints be provided Which permit free relative movement of sections of the hose under the high pressures encountered in drilling operations.

Accordingly, it becomes a prime object of this invention to provide joints characterized by having comparatively free movement betweenthe moving parts.

In dealing with the high pressures encountered in drilling deep wells with a hydraulic rotary. drilling outfit, considerable attention must be given to relieving the movable oints in a hose of the character con templated by this invention of as much inceivedlthe idea of supporting the cup leather 5 upon the casing instead of uponthe movable part within the casing. In this manner, I have effectively removed all 'the hydraulic pressure bearing upon the cup leather from the rotatable part to the fixed part ofthe joint. This arrangement will be appreciated as materially decreasing the pressure upon the movable part and will be recognized as a means to the end of this invention. By

mounting a cup leather in this manner, I not only, reduce the hydraulic pressure upon the movable parts, but I also reduce the area of contact of the cup leather with the movable part, and as a result reduce the power necessary to turn the joint under high pressure.- An added advantage is derived from the sim plicity of the structure wherein a minimum number of parts are employed, such parts being readily accessible and replaceable in case of wear.

Another'feature of my invention resides in the fact that I have provided a unit construction that may be combined in several combinations to produce various joints meetthe character described.

It is also'obvious that the prime featnre of my invention may be incorporated with other types of joints and as an illustration, I have shown the feature of this invention as embodied in connection with a ball joint which yields a very definite benefit when used in an all metal rotary hose.

A further feature of my invention resides in the manner in which. I minimize the internal wear of parts caused by the sharp turning of the circulating fluid. For this urpose, I have provided an especially ormed head wherein the fluid in turning is caused to form a cushion againstthe walls of the head and thereby decrease any wearing action of the fluid.

In assembling joints of the character con templated by this invention, it is necessary in order to obtain proper movement that the axes of said joints be arranged in a prescribed manner. This arrangement, when used with taper threads has been found at times to necessitate excessive tighting of conduit connections in order to orient joints to the proper planes of rotation. It, therefore, becomes an object of this invention to provide means whereby conduit connections may be rotated to bring the joints into their proper position without placing undue strain upon the conduit connection.

Other objects and advantages will appear in the description when read in connection with the drawings in which 'Fig. 1 fragmentarily illustrates the man ner in which a rotary hose of the type contemplated by this invention is employed in connection with hydraulic rotary drilling equipment;

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of one of the joints used in a hose of this type and may be termed a universal joint;

Fig. 3 isan end. view on line 3-3'o Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is another type of joint contemplated by this invention and may be considered as a simple swing joint;

Fig. 5 is another type of joint contemplated by this invention and used in ahose of this character and is termed a swing and swivel joint;

Fig. 6 is a vertical section of Fig. 5 taken in the plane of the paper;

Fig. 7 is a sectional elevation showing an-- aeeaseo tion as embodied'withthe usual rotary. hy-

draulic oil well drilling'equipment.

. In Fig. 1, I have fragmentarily illustrated a derrick leg designated atA and having a circulating fluid standpip'e B suitably sup ported thereby. [In conjunction therewith, i

I have shown a rotary table- 11; having' 'a-.- 'f

kelly 12 conventionally mountedtherein "and a swivel head generally designated at 13 sup- I v ported upon the kelly. 'A-block and tackle N generally designated at 14 is supported in the usual. manner and by. meansof ahook 15 supports the swivel-head. 13 by the ban 3 16. As shown, the swivel. head 13fis p'r vid'ed with the conventional gooseneck 174 which is equipped with the usual valve 18an d a conventional union 19. *Thestandpipe also provided with a gooseneek 20 and an 1 articulated all metal hose,- generally designated C of the type'conteinplated ii -this;

invention, extends between-theunion 19' and the gooseneck 20. In this-hose, I have'provided a series of joints each especially adapt;

ed for a certain purpose and have designated these joints as D, D, and D", to signify the I various types of joints-used. The joint D may be termed a universal joint, and is par ticularly adapted to provide the necessary movement requiredin a rotary hose between the points of connecting thehose to the stand-..

pipe and the swivel head. The joints D may be defined as swing joints, and are used in the intermediate connections of the hose sec.-

tions. The joint D is of a. slightly diflerent character than the joint, D in that it emev bodies in addition to thes ing joint a swiveljoint and, consequently, is termed a swing and swivel joint. It is one of the purposes of this invention to provide joints corre within said joints when movement .takes place. q

In Figs. 2 and 3, I have shown illustrations of the joint D. More specifically de j I scribed, this joint consists of an arrange-z ment of two swing joints E and F mounted upon the ends of an elbow G together witha swivel ball joint H. It is evident that such an arrangement provides'a universal'move"v ment between the conduits 21 and 22; Since a rotary hose requires a. universal movement as before stated at the points of-c'onnectionto the swivel head and the standpipe, this joint provides a satisfactory unit for such a'purpose. x In Fig. 4, I have illustrated: the, joint D which is shown as comprising a swing joint K having an elbow G with a conduit connection 23 upon theoutwjardl'y extending end. 7

This joint will be appreciated asproviding a I I swing movement in one plane only-between the conduits 24 and 25, and, as before stated,

' is adapted to form connections between the intermediate sections of the pipe.

In Fig. 5, I have illustrated the joint I)". This joint will be observed to be similar to D, the only difference being that the conduit connection 23 is converted into a swivel joint H. This structure will be recognized as providing a swing and swivel joint, and has a special purpose when used in a hose of the character described in that it provides rotative movement in the hose line near the lower end of the hose. In practice, at least one of these joints should be incorporated in every hose.

In Fig. 6, I have detailed the specific construction of the unit constructions involved in my invention. This figure is a vertical section taken on the center line of Fig. 5 in the plane of the paper. More specifically describing the structure of this joint, it is seen to comprise the elbow G upon one end of which is mounted my preferred construction of a swing joint designated at K and upon the other end of which is mounted a type of ball socket swivel joint generally designated H. It is to be understood that the joints K and H exemplify the joints contemplated by this invention. The means of mounting the swing joint K upon the end of the elbow G consists of a casing 26 into whih an open end 27 of the elbow G extends. For purposes of further identification. the casing 26 and the parts rigidly associated therewith may be termed the fixed element or housing and the elbow G the movable element. That portion of the elbow G which extends into the casing 26 I may term the inner conduit section. In this form of my invention, the internal conduit section is provided with a short run of screw threads 28 onto which is screw-threadedly mounted a collar 29 which is adapted to bear upon ball-bearings 30 that are in turn supported upon an inner extending flange 31 which is a part of the casing 26. Attention is directed to the fact that the ball-bearings 3O bear directly upon the flange 31 and support the elbow G by hearing directly against the collar This structure appreciably reduces the offset distance between the entering and exiting passages. This structure will be readily recognized as providing a close coupled anti-friction. means of supporting the elbow G within the casing 26.

Means are provided for transferring part of the hydrostatic pressure from the antifriction bearing to the casing 26. and preferably consist of a. ring 32 mounted in a recess 33 of the casing 26 and having an opening 34 adapted to receive the open end 27 of the elbow G. A cup leather 35 is mounted upon the ring 32 and as a means of holding the cup leather 35 in operative position, I have provided a closure head generally designated 37. which is adapted to fitover the casing 26 and be held thereagainst by bolts '38. The head 37 is provided with a recess 39 that is adapted to fit over the ring 32 and also has a second recess 40 that is arranged to bear upon the cup leather 35 and form a water seal therebetween. The head 37 equipped with a conduit connection 41 lying substantially at right angles to the axis of rotation of the joint K. From the construction just described, it will be seen that the casing 26 and the closure head 37 cooperate to form what I may term a housing in which the ring 32 (54-Fig. 7) and the flange 31 (57--Fig. 7) constitute inwardly extending annular shelves adapted to support the pack ing ring 35 (53Fig. 7) and the bearing flange 29 (55Fig. 7) respectively. It is clearly evident, under this arrangement, that the pressure upon the cup leather 35 is transmitted to the casing 26 and the associated elements forming the housing and that the antifriction bearing means are, consequently, relieved of thisamount of pressure. It is also clear that by mounting the cup leather in this manner the area of. leather that slidingly contacts the moving surface is reduced from the diameter of the casing to the diameter of the elbow. This will be readily appreciated as materially reducing the power required to turn a joint of this character under high pressure. On the opposite end of the elbow G, I have shown a somewhat different joint designated at H in which a ball and socket arrangement is'utilized. In this arrangement I employ a cup leather 42 supported upon a ring 43 in the manner identical with that described in relation to the oint K. The bearing means in this instance consist of a casing 44 formed as a socket to receive a spherical shoulder 45 formed integrally with a rotating member 46. The casing 44 is attached to the flaring end 47 of the elbow G by means of bolts 48, and the ring 43 and the cup leather 42 are held therebetween in the identical manner described with relation to the joint K. The rotatable member 46 is provided with a retaining socket 49 screwthreadedly mounted by means ofthreads 50 upon the exterior of the member 46. A lock nut 51 is provided to hold the retaining member 49 in fixed position upon the threads 50. The extending end of the rotating member 46 is provided with screw-threads 52 to receive a tool joint of standard construction. The joint H thus provided will be appreciated as a providing a rotative movement as well as av universal movement. This feature has been found particularly useful when used in connection with the swing joint K or when used in connection with a pair of swing joints such as E and F. or it may be used to constitute a joint of itself. In Fig. 7. I have shown another form of supporting the elbow G in a swing joint desi gnated L. In this construction, a cup leathis further I iii- 53 mounted upon a ring in-the usual;-

" manner but inplace of, the ball-bearing arrangement as shown in jthe joint A, I have 1 provided a sliding} means preferably-consisting of -a collar 55 screvv-threadedlyi mounted '-upon.-th e' inner; endv of theelbow The col:

.lar 55 in turn bears u-pon an antifriction ;onsists' of a'pin 58"ex'tending through said collars and intoa shoulder 59 providedon the elbow G. In pi'actficeg it often tunes happens that connection 41 "until the end of thelconduit engages the-.copper-gasket 60. The coppergasket is-provided for the purpose of permit- "ting additional screwing movement to. takeplacefuntil the joint hasbeen oriented into its proper axis. 'This structure will also be appreciated I as providing an eflective-- Waterseal anda; lock against unscrewing'of the parts.

This invention also includes a means-ofthispur'poseI have formed the closurehead "ET-ina manner to. cause theliquid to; flow substantially, in the direction {of the: arrows indicated in FigsQG and 8. v In these-figures it will be noted that thec onduitzpassage,

designated expandswith respect to the diverting the circulating fluid in; a manner to minimize internal Wear of the parts. For

,cro'ss-section; Thereis also, an extended the closure head also expandandexte nd outside the opening 67 This ,.ar1"angement causes-the fluid-toflow around a spherical path defined by the inner .wall of the head and to meet-somewhere in. the vicinitydia metrically oppositethe fluid entrance. The flows then unite and descend through the .openi'n'g'fi'f substantially in the direction of a the arrows shown inf Figsl. 6 and. 8;? .It is tion upon the interior of the head 37. -1A'1-though I have "shown-my inventon as appliedjzto a rotary hose, nevertheless; I am awarethat certain features of invention Y may have a usefulness outside of t sapplica t'ion'shown', I-,' therefore,' intend this dis- I claim a ea-men es: '1.- A1 conduit Joint of the. character declosure to include all such appl ications yand modificationstof my invention as i fall within the scope of the" specification and the essence of. the'invention as expressed inthe appended scribed-comprising:- a casing; a closure head for said casing and a mo vable element mount.-

ed11n'sa1d cas ng; a fluid sealing-means betweenfsaid "closure head and said movable element ;.means for supporting'sa-id fluid sealjing rn'eans upon said casing; sa'i'cllast mena in .ord'er ,to' properly orient-a joint. with re-j 1 spect to'itsaxis of rotation, the use'of taper Z threads-has been found to be highly objec-.-

tionable; In order-to obviate such practice,. I'have incorporated With'each of my conduitv connections acopper ring 60 mounted in a recess 61 at the base ofthe threads 62, best shownin' the conduit'connection 41 in Fig.

6,- In utili'zing a ijoint .of this character,: the threads6'2 are straight-run threads, i. e., theyhaveno taper, and the conduit 63 is'ac- .eordingly freely screwed into the conduit tioned ne'ans .iincluding a ring arranged to bear upon sald-cas ng and adapted to freely leather supported upon said ring and arranged to movably engage said movable ele merit, 2. A; conduit joint of the character de-j scribed-comprising: a casing; a closure head v for said casing and a movableeleinent mount- -receive said {movable element; and-l p tween said casing-and said closurehead and adapted to freely receive said movable element; "and a. cup leather supportedupon said ring and arranged to movablyengage said movable element.

a A i'conaua, joint of the. car s aev.j

scribed comprising a casing; a closure head for; said casingand a movable element mounted insaid casing; a fluid sealing means between said closure head and said movable element; means'for supporting saidfiuijd sealing means upon said casing, said'last men 'tloned means nclud ng a ring arranged. to

bear upon said casing and adapted to freely receive saidfmovable element; an'da cupleather supported-upon said. ring and arg ranged to movably engage said movable ele- I portion- 66 which forms acircularchamber 6'6 beyond the open end 67 of-=the elbow. G. As shown in Fig. 8, 'at'6'8e, th'e side walls of.

ment and adapted to closure head.

scribed'ga fixed element and a movable ele- 'ment.; fluid, sealing means between said fixed :element {and said; movable element fixedly supported on said fixed element and adapted -to beforced'by fluidpressu re' into pressure engagement. with; said movable element;

means 1 for rotatabl-y supportingsaid movable element in said'fiXede-lement, said last I finentioned means including a casing havingevident,.under this arrangement, that-a su b-' stantially smooth flow of fluid -is provided' I and that, asa result, there is no scouring acaninwardly extending flangega collar mountr A -co" dut't-ijoint of theipcharacter de -"scribed "a .fixed element and a movable element; fluid sealing means between said fixed element and said movable element fixedly i supported on said fixed element and adapted tobe forced by fluid pressure into pressure engagement with said movable element; means for rotatably supporting said movable element in said fixed element, said last mentioned means including a casing having an inwardly extending flange forming a ball race; a collar mounted on said movable element forming a ball race; ball-bearings in- .terposed between said flange and said collar.

6. In conduit joints of the character described, a fixed element and a movable element; fluid sealing means between said fixed element and said movable element supported on said fixedelement; and means for rotatably supporting said movable element in said fixed element, said last mentioned means including a casing having a spherical seat, and said movable element having a spherical shoulder adapted to universally engage said seat.

7. In conduit joints of the character described, a fixed element and a movable element; fluid sealing means between said fixed element and said movable element supported on said fixed element; means for rotatably supporting said movable'element in said fixed element, said last mentioned means including a casing having a spherical seat, and said movable element having a spherical shoulder adapted to universally engage said seat;

and retaining means for holding said shoulder in engagement with said seat;

8. A conduit joint of the character dey scribed embodying: a housing; an inner conduit sectlon received in sald housing; a bear- 1 ing flange on said 1nner condult section; an

annular shelf in said housing extending inwardly below said bearing flange; a second annular shelf in said housing above said bearing flange; and a. packing ring siupported in said housing by said last mentioned shelf with its throat portion engaging the outer surface of said inner conduit section.

. In testimon whereof, I have hereunto set my hand at los Angeles, California, this 18th day of November, 1929.

. CHARLES G. BANKS. 

